Who’s actually designing for an AI‑powered future and shipping it today? These 15 studios and consultancies are leading the way.
AI is reshaping how we design digital products. It's no longer about adding a chatbot or running some automated workflows. The best design teams are now building products where AI is fundamental to the experience itself. They're creating interfaces that adapt to users, systems that learn from behavior, and tools that get smarter over time.
Finding agencies that actually ship this work is harder than it sounds. Most teams talk about AI. Fewer build with it. Even fewer do it responsibly.
This list features agencies that do all three. They design human experiences and the AI that powers them. They ship real products, not just pitch decks. And they build trust, safety, and usefulness into every touchpoint.
Why “AI‑first” Design Approach Matters Now
Design is shifting from static screens to adaptive, agentic systems. The products we build today don't just respond to clicks. They anticipate needs, personalize experiences, and evolve with every interaction.
Brands aren't just adding "AI" to their roadmaps anymore. They're rebuilding workflows, interfaces, and entire service models around it. The question isn't whether to use AI. It's how to design with it in a way that feels natural, trustworthy, and genuinely useful.
The best design partners understand this shift. They don't bolt AI onto existing products as an afterthought. They start with the problem, understand the constraints, and build systems that use AI where it actually makes sense. They know how to pattern trust into conversational interfaces. They understand how to make complex AI behavior feel simple and predictable.
This requires a different approach to design. You need teams that understand both sides of the equation. The human side, where empathy and clarity matter most. And the technical side, where model behavior, latency, and data quality shape what's actually possible.
Great AI-first design balances these forces. It creates experiences that feel effortless even when the underlying systems are incredibly complex. It builds safety rails without making products feel restrictive. It scales personalization without sacrificing privacy.
Top 15 AI‑First Design Agencies – December Rankings
1. Mission Control
Mission Control Agency
- Locations: San Francisco
- Year established: 2025
- Team size: 11-50 employees
- Budget: Flexible, based on the chosen model
- Hourly price: $150/hr
- Capabilities: Brand strategy, brand architecture, verbal & visual identity, brand guidelines, brand experience
- Best for: Startups, fintech, Web3 and crypto ventures, financial services, technology, B2B companies
Mission Control is a new arrival on the San Francisco design scene, but it comes with a serious pedigree. Founded in 2025 by the team behind Clay, the agency draws on experience shaping global brands like Slack, Meta, and Coinbase.
The agency’s approach is built around clarity and adaptability. Rather than chasing trends, Mission Control zeroes in on what makes a company distinctive and then builds brand systems designed to evolve as the business grows. Our senior designers and strategists combine sharp brand architecture with compelling visual and verbal identity work, ensuring consistency across every customer touchpoint.
For fast-moving industries like fintech, crypto, and B2B tech, Mission Control offers more than surface-level design. We help companies define their purpose, organize their brand, and establish a strong identity that can support rapid growth and market shifts. With AI-driven workflows and flexible engagement models, they’re engineered to meet startups where they are and scale alongside them.
Why is it AI-First? Mission Control integrates AI tools into strategy and design workflows, enabling faster iteration, sharper insights, and scalable creative systems for startups that need to move quickly without sacrificing quality.
2. Clay
Clay Agency
- Locations: San Francisco
- Year established: 2009
- Team size: 11-50 employees
- Budget: Project-based, typically mid-to-high range
- Hourly price: $150-$200/hr
- Capabilities: Product design, design systems, web & app design, brand identity, full-stack web development
- Best for: Technology leaders, fintech, crypto/Web3, enterprise platforms
Clay is known for shaping complex digital ecosystems where brand and product design are seamlessly integrated. Our work spans fintech platforms, B2B systems, and consumer apps, always combining scalable design systems with distinct brand expression.
With a focus on detail and usability, Clay creates digital experiences that balance aesthetics with performance. Our portfolio includes projects for Slack, Coinbase, and Google, positioning us as a go-to partner for high-stakes digital products.
Why is it AI-First? Clay embeds AI into its design processes (accelerating prototyping, testing, and system consistency) so that brands and products are polished and engineered to adapt in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
3. Red Antler
Red Antler Agency
- Locations: Brooklyn, New York
- Year established: 2007
- Team size: 200+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-high budget range
- Hourly price: $200+/hr
- Capabilities: Brand strategy, naming, identity systems, product design, AI branding initiatives
- Best for: Consumer startups, AI-driven companies, emerging brands seeking scale
Red Antler is one of the most influential branding agencies for startups, credited with helping launch and scale icons like Allbirds and Casper. Their mix of strategic clarity and bold identity systems has made them a cornerstone for high-growth consumer brands.
Today, Red Antler is expanding its expertise to AI companies, ensuring that brands built around emerging technologies feel approachable and human. Their approach simplifies the complex, making innovation resonate with mainstream audiences.
Why is it AI-First? Red Antler has built AI capabilities directly into its creative practice, using AI-enhanced research and concepting to design identities for a new wave of AI-native companies.
4. DEPT®
DEPT Agency
- Locations: Global (HQ in Amsterdam, offices in 30+ countries)
- Year established: 2015
- Team size: 4,000+ employees
- Budget: Enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150-$250/hr
- Capabilities: AI transformation, digital products, customer experience, brand platforms, media
- Best for: Enterprise brands, multinational companies, complex transformation projects
DEPT® is a global digital powerhouse and one of the first major agencies to commit to AI transformation as a dedicated offering. Their AI practice spans strategy, data infrastructure, customer experiences, and AI-powered marketing, enabling enterprises to adopt AI across the value chain.
Their client roster includes eBay, Google, and Samsung, with projects ranging from AI-driven product design to intelligent content systems. With thousands of specialists worldwide, DEPT® has the scale to execute complex AI initiatives end-to-end.
Why is it AI-First? DEPT® doesn’t just use AI as a design tool: it helps organizations reimagine entire business models around AI, embedding intelligence into products, services, and customer engagement.
5. Work&Co
Work&Co Agency
- Locations: Brooklyn, New York; Portland; Rio de Janeiro; Copenhagen
- Year established: 2013
- Team size: 500+ employees
- Budget: Enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150-$200/hr
- Capabilities: Product strategy, AI-driven platforms, UX/UI design, engineering, digital transformation
- Best for: Enterprises building new AI products and platforms in data-heavy or regulated industries
Work&Co is a product agency trusted by Fortune 500 companies to launch mission-critical digital experiences. Their cross-functional teams combine design, engineering, and strategy to build platforms that scale.
Recently, Work&Co has focused heavily on integrating AI into real-world applications, from pharma to materials science. They emphasize execution as much as vision, helping enterprises not just imagine AI-driven products but actually ship them.
Why is it AI-First? Work&Co treats AI as a foundational technology for new product ecosystems. Their launches like Pfizer’s Health Answers and Celanese’s Chemille prove that AI can deliver practical, enterprise-ready solutions.
6. AKQA
AKQA Agency
- Locations: Global (HQ in London, offices worldwide)
- Year established: 1994
- Team size: 6,000+ employees (as part of WPP)
- Budget: Enterprise-level and high-budget creative innovation
- Hourly price: $200+/hr
- Capabilities: AI-driven product design, service design, creative technology, brand experiences, digital marketing
- Best for: Global brands seeking cutting-edge AI interaction models and standout creative applications
AKQA has always been known for its fusion of design and technology, and its AI work is no exception. They experiment boldly with frontier technologies, creating experiences that are both imaginative and technically sophisticated.
From developing Pi (the personal AI companion with Inflection AI) to launching Speedgate, the world’s first sport invented by AI, AKQA thrives at the intersection of creativity and machine intelligence.
Why is it AI-First? AKQA doesn’t treat AI as a background tool. It’s central to their creative process. They design entirely new categories of experiences, showing how AI can shape not just brands but culture itself.
7. R/GA
R/GA Agency
- Locations: New York, London, São Paulo, San Francisco, and more
- Year established: 1977
- Team size: 1,200+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150–$250/hr
- Capabilities: Brand design, AI-powered CRM, adaptive content, product innovation, digital ecosystems
- Best for: Large brands seeking to integrate AI into marketing, customer experience, and product pipelines
R/GA is one of the most adaptive agencies in the business, reinventing itself multiple times to keep pace with technology. Today, they focus on AI in creative applications and organizational transformation.
The agency has invested deeply in AI, building a dedicated AI Products team and acquiring AI design studio Addition. They’re already experimenting with generative video (like a film produced in four weeks using Google’s Veo) and building AI-enhanced marketing systems for global brands.
Why is it AI-First? R/GA sees AI not as a bolt-on but as the next operating system for brand ecosystems. By creating AI-native tools and acquiring specialist teams, they’re embedding intelligence into every stage of brand and product design.
8. Huge
Huge Agency
- Locations: Brooklyn, New York; Los Angeles; London; Bogotá; Singapore
- Year established: 1999
- Team size: 1,200+ employees
- Budget: Enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150–$250/hr
- Capabilities: AI transformation, digital strategy, data science, brand experience, engineering
- Best for: Enterprises modernizing platforms and creating AI-powered customer experiences
Huge is a global experience agency with a long history of shaping digital brands. Today, AI transformation sits at the core of their services. They combine strategy, design, and advanced engineering to help large organizations reimagine how customers interact with their products and services.
Recent projects highlight their ability to bring AI into live consumer experiences. For example, NBCUniversal worked with Huge to launch OLI, an AI-powered conversational guide for the Paris Olympics.
Why is it AI-First? Huge doesn’t just layer AI into existing processes. It uses AI as a foundation for creating new customer experiences, from intelligent assistants to adaptive platforms that learn and improve over time.
9. Instrument
Instrument Agency
- Locations: Portland, Los Angeles, New York
- Year established: 2002
- Team size: 400+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150–$200/hr
- Capabilities: Brand strategy, product design, AI experimentation, content personalization, digital storytelling
- Best for: Brands looking to prototype AI quickly and explain complex technology through clear design and narrative
Instrument is known for crafting experiences that blend storytelling with product design. Their teams help brands experiment with AI in real time, creating prototypes and pilots that demonstrate practical value before scaling.
From designing personalized learning experiences with Microsoft Reading Coach to prototyping future-facing AI tools, Instrument excels at translating technical complexity into intuitive human experiences.
Why is it AI-First? Instrument actively uses AI as both a design tool and a narrative driver, helping brands move from abstract AI concepts to tangible, user-friendly experiences that can be tested and refined rapidly.
10. IDEO
IDEO Agency
- Locations: San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, London, Munich, Tokyo, Shanghai
- Year established: 1991
- Team size: 600+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-high budget projects
- Hourly price: $150–$250/hr
- Capabilities: Human-centered design, AI research, innovation strategy, organizational design, product development
- Best for: Organizations aligning leadership, creativity, and responsible AI adoption
IDEO has long been recognized as a pioneer in human-centered design. Their recent work explores the role of AI in driving innovation while balancing responsibility, ethics, and human creativity. In 2024, IDEO published research showing that AI adoption could significantly boost innovation outcomes and growth potential across industries.
They partner with leadership teams to think beyond efficiency, focusing instead on how AI can unlock new creative possibilities and reimagine entire categories of products and services.
Why is it AI-First? IDEO positions AI as a catalyst for innovation. Rather than treating AI as a productivity tool, they study and apply it as a driver of long-term growth, creativity, and cultural transformation.
11. Ustwo
Ustwo Agency
- Locations: London, New York, Malmö, Sydney
- Year established: 2004
- Team size: 250+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-high budget projects
- Hourly price: $150–$200/hr
- Capabilities: Product design, UX research, AI prototyping, service design, ethical AI strategy
- Best for: Consumer brands and product companies that need trustworthy, human-centered AI interfaces
Ustwo has built its reputation on creating digital products that balance utility with emotional resonance. Known for partnerships with major tech players, the studio takes a people-first approach to technology, ensuring that AI-powered products feel safe, intuitive, and meaningful.
They’ve collaborated on AI interfaces for conversational agents and digital services, applying their UX expertise to make advanced tech approachable for everyday users.
Why is it AI-First? ustwo treats AI as a design partner, using it to explore new interaction models while keeping ethics and human needs at the center of every decision.
12. Fantasy
Fantasy Agency
- Locations: New York, San Francisco, London
- Year established: 1999
- Team size: 150+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-high budget projects
- Hourly price: $150–$250/hr
- Capabilities: Experience design, AI UX, future visioning, product innovation, workshops
- Best for: Organizations seeking cutting-edge concept design and AI-driven UX innovation
Fantasy, also known as FΞ, has become synonymous with futuristic product design and next-generation user experiences. Their AI Design Hub and public masterclasses showcase how they experiment with AI to reimagine the way people interact with technology.
With decades of experience crafting breakthrough interfaces, Fantasy is now extending its expertise into the AI era, helping companies visualize and prototype what’s next.
Why is it AI-First? Fantasy embraces AI not just as a tool but as a creative collaborator, using it to push the boundaries of UX and design entirely new categories of digital interaction.
13. Bakken & Bæck
Bakken & Bæck Agency
- Locations: Oslo, Amsterdam, Bonn
- Year established: 2011
- Team size: 150+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-high budget projects
- Hourly price: $150–$200/hr
- Capabilities: Digital product design, AI applications, data-driven platforms, brand systems, R&D
- Best for: Ambitious product companies blending design, machine learning, and data science
Bakken & Bæck is a digital product studio that operates at the intersection of design and emerging technology. Their work spans AI-powered applications, complex data systems, and creative brand identities, and their portfolio shows both technical rigor and design flair.
They invest in R&D and publish openly about their AI experiments, making them one of the more transparent agencies in integrating AI into practice.
Why is it AI-First? Bakken & Bæck positions AI as a core part of their design toolkit, using it to create intelligent platforms, generate insights, and accelerate product development for forward-thinking clients.
14. Shoreditch Design
Shoreditch Design Agency
- Locations: London, UK
- Year established: 2015
- Team size: 50+ employees
- Budget: Flexible, startup-friendly
- Hourly price: $100–$150/hr
- Capabilities: Brand identity, product design, AI-assisted design services, marketing assets, web design
- Best for: Startups and scaleups in tech, fintech, and consumer apps seeking quick, flexible design support
Shoreditch Design is a boutique studio based in London that specializes in helping fast-moving startups bring their products and brands to market. Its services cover everything from brand identity to marketing collateral, and it has recently expanded into AI-assisted design workflows.
Known for transparency and agility, Shoreditch Design offers clear service packages designed to match startup life's speed and budget realities.
Why is it AI-First? Shoreditch Design uses AI as a way to extend creative output for startups, helping teams move faster on branding, product assets, and iterative campaigns without compromising design quality.
15. Code and Theory
Code and Theory Agency
- Locations: New York, London, San Francisco, Miami
- Year established: 2001
- Team size: 1,000+ employees
- Budget: Mid-to-enterprise-level projects
- Hourly price: $150–$250/hr
- Capabilities: AI strategy, organizational transformation, brand experience, digital ecosystems, content design
- Best for: Enterprises rethinking business models and customer experiences around AI
Code and Theory is a full-service agency that thrives at the intersection of design, technology, and business strategy. They help organizations build AI-enabled operating models while also delivering brand and product experiences.
The agency emphasizes the role of AI in reshaping how businesses function: integrating intelligent systems not just into products, but into the way organizations communicate, market, and serve their customers.
Why is it AI-First? Code and Theory sees AI as a structural shift, not a feature add-on. Their work focuses on embedding AI into organizational design, ensuring companies evolve into AI-native businesses from the inside out.
How We Chose Agencies for the List
We reviewed agencies from your longlist and narrowed down to those showing clear, public proof of AI-first work. Not marketing posts or concept decks. Real work that ships.
Here's what we looked for:
- Dedicated AI practices. Agencies with formal AI service lines or teams. Not a single case study or pilot project, but sustained focus and thought leadership in the space.
- Live AI work. Real case studies, tools, or experiments users can actually try. We prioritized agencies with shipped products over those with only internal R&D or concept work.
- Responsible design approach. Evidence of frameworks for privacy, safety, bias mitigation, and explainability. This shows up in case studies, blog posts, design systems, and public documentation.
- Ability to ship. Teams that move from concept to prototype to production. Design agencies that can partner with engineering teams or build themselves. Not consultancies that hand off decks and disappear.
We excluded agencies that only work in stealth mode or can't show their AI work publicly. If we couldn't verify the work existed, we didn't include them. This list prioritizes transparency and proven execution over reputation or size.
What to Look for in an AI-First Design Partner
Not all agencies calling themselves "AI-first" actually are. Here's what separates real practitioners from those riding the hype wave.
- Shipped AI work. Look for public case studies, prototypes, or experiments you can interact with. Real work beats pitch decks. If an agency can't show you what they've built, they probably haven't built much.
- Responsible design posture. The best agencies don't just design for the happy path. They think about failure states, bias, privacy, and safety from day one. Look for explicit frameworks, not vague statements about ethics.
- Model-agnostic craft. Strong teams design around problems, not specific tools. They're comfortable working with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, open-source models, or custom solutions. They choose the right model for the job instead of forcing one approach everywhere.
- Design and engineering integration. AI products need tight collaboration between design and engineering. Look for agencies that can build scaffolding like data pipelines, APIs, evaluation frameworks, and guardrails. Or teams that work seamlessly with technical partners to iterate fast.
- Cultural change support. AI transformation goes beyond interfaces. It touches process, training, governance, and organizational structure. The best partners help you navigate this complexity instead of just delivering designs.
- Speed and iteration. AI products evolve fast. Your agency should, too. Look for teams that prototype quickly, test with users early, and adjust based on real behavior instead of assumptions.
- Clear communication. AI is complex. Great agencies make it understandable. They explain tradeoffs, surface risks, and help stakeholders make informed decisions without drowning them in technical jargon.
FAQs
What Is an AI-First Designer?
An AI-first designer is a UX or product designer who creates experiences where artificial intelligence is not an add-on but the foundation of the product. Instead of designing static screens, they design how an AI system interacts with people: covering trust, explainability, and adaptive behaviors. Their role blends interface design, data thinking, and human-AI interaction patterns.
Which Company Started Using AI First?
While many tech firms experimented early, Google is often credited with leading the first “AI-first” shift. In 2016, its CEO publicly declared Google would move from being a “mobile-first” to an AI-first company, influencing the industry to prioritize machine learning and AI as core product drivers.
How to UX Design for AI?
UX design for AI means designing around intelligence, not just visuals. The process includes:
1.
Identifying clear user jobs that AI can support.2.
Mapping trust points: transparency, feedback, and error recovery.3.
Prototyping with real AI models early to test behaviors.4.
Creating adaptive interfaces that evolve as the system learns. It’s about ensuring the AI feels useful, reliable, and aligned with human goals.
What Is the AI-First Design Pattern?
The AI-first design pattern is a product strategy in which the core user experience is built on intelligent systems from the ground up. Instead of bolting AI onto an existing app, the design starts with what the AI can uniquely do (assist, generate, personalize, or predict), and the interface is structured around that capability. This pattern shifts design from static flows to dynamic, conversational, and adaptive experiences.
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Conclusion
Choosing the right partner in this space matters more than ever. The best AI-first agencies combine human insight with technical depth. They understand how to design for trust and safety, while also shipping products that learn, adapt, and scale in the real world. They don’t just add AI as a feature, they reimagine the entire product around it.
If you’re a startup looking to launch with impact, or an enterprise ready to reframe your customer experience, the firms above represent the leaders who are shaping what comes next. These teams are designing for an AI-powered future and shipping it today.
About Clay
Clay is a UI/UX design & branding agency in San Francisco. We team up with startups and leading brands to create transformative digital experience. Clients: Facebook, Slack, Google, Amazon, Credit Karma, Zenefits, etc.
Learn moreAbout Clay
Clay is a UI/UX design & branding agency in San Francisco. We team up with startups and leading brands to create transformative digital experience. Clients: Facebook, Slack, Google, Amazon, Credit Karma, Zenefits, etc.
Learn more
